Volleyball falls twice

JSU Sportswire

The Gamecocks dropped two more conference matches over the weekend to Murray State on Friday night, and then to Austin Peay on Saturday afternoon.

JSU played their first match on Friday versus OVC leader Murray State. Although the first set saw 17 ties between the two teams, the Racers would eventually take control to win it by two. The second set saw only six ties, and two lead changes, but the Gamecocks could not take control of the set and lost it to MSU. The final set was JSU’s last chance to avoid the sweep and after an early lead it seemed to be in the Gamecocks’ favor. However, the Racers showed why they’re at the top of the conference and defeated JSU in a sweep by 10 in the final set.

The Gamecocks hit .211 just lower than MSU’s .279 overall. The first set was by far the Gamecocks’ best as they hit .295 in it alone. Nicole Merget was the lone Gamecock with kills in the doubles with 10. However, on defense Samantha Bohne and Hannah Kirk both had double-digit numbers with 10 digs apiece. As usual it was Jennifer Hart who led the team in assists with 29.

The finals for the match were 25-27, 20-25 and 15-25.

The second match against Austin Peay was on the road and was the only match between the two teams in the regular season. The Gamecocks were determined not to be swept again and although they did lose, they managed to pull a win out of set three. The Governors were vicious in all but that particular set as they hit .300 and over in set one, two and four. JSU held APU to .061 in the third set while the Gamecocks hit .200. Despite their win that held off the sweep, the Governors pulled the win out in the fourth set and took the victory.

Overall the Gamecocks had a .184 attack percentage and, unlike the previous game, there were four players with kills in the doubles. Charis Ludtke led with 15, Emily Rutherford came behind her with 13, followed last by Allyson Zuhlke and Merget who both had 10 apiece. Bohne led the defense with 23 digs, while Rutherford and Brianne Glidewell helped with 13 each. Hart led both teams in assists with 46.

The finals for the match were 24-26, 20-25, 25-19 and 19-25.

The Gamecocks will play Belmont on Nov. 7, followed by a game against Tennessee State on Nov. 8. Both games will be played in Nashville.